By Rick Aristotle Munarriz
September 27, 2008
Monday
This was supposed to be a great time for consumer electronics-superstore chains such as Circuit City (NYSE: CC). The "staycation" movement finds consumers upgrading their home-theater systems. Lifestyle-enhancing gadgets are coming out at a feverish pace. Television's shift to digital come February was supposed to make this a great time to sell flat-screen sets.
Reality has been painted in darker hues at Circuit City, and we'll get a clearer image of that snapshot when the retailer posts its fiscal second-quarter results. Wall Street is looking for a sharp loss during the period, so at least it's somewhat braced for the worst.
Tuesday
Soda bottler Pepsi Bottling Group (NYSE: PBG) twists off its cap on Tuesday with its quarterly financials. Analysts see the pop star earning $1.04 a share, ahead of the $0.99 a share it produced a year ago. If the growth doesn't impress you, it's OK to aim slightly higher. Pepsi Bottling Group has beaten Wall Street expectations in each of the seven previous quarters.
Wednesday
If you wake up feeling a little different on Wednesday, it's probably the start of the year's final quarter buzzing in your brain. With the advent of October, you'll have earnings reports coming out on companies including Wolverine World Wide (NYSE: WWW) and Micron Technology (NYSE: MU) to look forward to.
Thursday
We check in with Marriott (NYSE: MAR) on Thursday. There will naturally be some questions and consoling over the recent hotel bombing in Islamabad, but then investor attention will turn to the numbers.
There are reasons to worry here. I recently voiced my concerns on the hospitality industry, over fears that chains such as Marriott and Starwood (NYSE: HOT) would have a bumpy few quarters given the strengthening dollar and global economic weakness. Let's see whether the company views it differently.
Friday
Thriftiness is still the frugal fashion. That theory should be validated on Friday, when Family Dollar (NYSE: FDO) reports. The bar is certainly high enough, with analysts expecting the chain to post a 31% increase in quarter profitability. A good family is great, but so is a good Family.
Until next week, I remain,
Rick Munarriz
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